Spindle-lubricator.



AUTTUM J. BRITT, O'F G-LENWOOD, INDIANA.

SPINDLE-LUBRICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914,.

Application filed. October 18, 1913. Serial No. 796,053.

To aZZ 'whom 'it may conoern:

Be it known that I, AUTTUM J. Bmr'r, a`

citizen of the United States, residing at Glenwood, in the county of Rush and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spindle-Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a lubricator for cylindrical and cone shaped spindles of wagons,

This trough has a fixed bottomand also ans inner movable one which I shall designate Between said fixed as a false bottom. and false bottoms is a tongue, which 1s 1nserted to elevate the false bottom and thereby force the grease to the surface of the.

spindle and -into'contact with the boxingsleeve in the hub of the wheel.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a convenient means for introducing a lubricant between a wheel and its spindle without the necessity of removing the wheel; second, to provide means for distributing the lubricant equally of the entire length of the spindle and then to bring it to the surface of the latter, and third, to cause it to be spread regularly over the surface of the spindle by coItact with the bore of the sleeve of the hu i I accomplish the objects above stated, and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal vertica z section of a vehicle spindle provided with my improved grease holding trough, showing the latter empty and with the tongue for elevating the 'false bottom removed. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the tongue for elevating the false bottom of the lubricantholding trough. Fig. 3 is a view in partial Vertical section of the spindleshowing the tongue in operative position and showing the pacity.

spindle seated in thesleeve of the hub of a wheel, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4+4 of Fig. 3, with the end nut removed. i

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawing. o

I have shown my invention as .applied to the tapering spindle of a buggy or other light vehicle, but, obviously applicable without the exercise of invention to the spindle or shaft of any analogous wheel or loosely mounted rotary member. Referring to the drawing, 5 is the spindle, and formed in the top thereof is a longitudinal channel extending approximately the entire length of the spindle, and here shown as reachin'g in depth nearly to the center of the'spindle, but the depth and width of thechannel will depend upon the required lubricant-carrying ca- A trough 6, which is preferably formed out Vof sheet metal to fit the channel, has ,parallel sides 'to correspond with the similar parallel sides of the channel, and is inserted therein'through the end of the channel by a sliding movement.| In order to keep the bottom of the ltrough 6 always in contact with the bottom of the channel I pro- `vide outwardly extending corner grooves at the bottom of the channel to receive corresponding corner ribs or flanges 7 of the trough. These ribs 7 are here shown as formed out of the sheet metal from which the trough was made by appropriately bending the bottom of the trough back upon extended portions of the latter and then continuing this overlaid portion up at right .anglesto form the sides of the trough in the inanner as is shown in Fig. 4.

The outer end of the trough 6 is provided with'a hole 8 for engagement by a hook or pin for greater convenience in withdrawing the trough when the latter is to be filled with lubricating material, and the channel under this portion of the trough -is correspondingly deepened to avoidinterference with the withdrawing instrument. i

A false bottom 9 is provided for the trough. This comprises a strip of sheet metal extending in length from the inner end of .the trough to the outer end of the spindle and of such width as to make a close sliding fit between the two Vertical side walls of the trough. A post 10 secured vertically to the trough at the inner end of the latter passes through a hole in the adjacent end of th-e false bottom 9, permitting said false bottom to be moved freely away from and toward the fixed bottom of the trough. A series of inturned tongues 11 are formed out of the sheet metal material of the sides of the trough and serve as stops to determine the maximum movement of the false bottom away from the fixed bottom of the trough. The extreme outer end of the false bottom 9 is bentup at right angles to form a hook vwhich engages theouter edges of the adjacent tongues 11 to keep that end of the false bottom from being forced in by the insertion of a tongue which will be presently described, and to facilitate the introduction of the tongue, I prefer to permanently bend the out-er end of the false bottom 9 in the manner shown in Fig. 1 so as to normally elevate the outer end of said false bottom to its maximum position away from the fixed bottom of the trough. This provides a suitable opening for the int-roduction of the tongue.

A tongue' 12 is introduced after the trough has been filled with the desired lubricant in the space existing therein above the false bottom 9. It is sharpened to cause it to enter easier and this end is slotted to pass pin 10. The tongue 12 is introduced between the false bottom 9 and the fixed bottom of the trough and its purpose is to elevate the false bottom into contact with the tongues 11, and thereby raise the contained lubricant above the spindle and into contact with the sleeve of the wheel-hub mounted on said spindle.- The tongue 12, however, is not introduced as above described until after the trough, filled with lubricating material, has 4been pushed into the spindle the maximum distance,the wheel of course being also in operative position upon the spindle, and the weight of the vehicle being upon the wheel in question. Any looseness in fit between the sleeve 14 of the hub and spindle 5, due to wear or intentional construction, willv manifest itself by presenting the greatest space at the top of the spindle between it and the sleeve, in the manner as is shown in Fig. 4. This lends itself to the more pero feet operation of my lubricator for the reason that it provides additional room for the displacement of the lubricating material bei Vtween the hub-sleeve and spindle when the lubricant is ejected from the trough by the driving of'the tongue 12 in between the false bottom 9 and the bottom of the trough.

The inner vend of the channel of spindle 5 is sloped upwardly in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to direct any lubricant overfioW-inginto the channel, back into the journal where it will be useful when said overfiowed lubricant is.forced out of the channel by the entrance of the trough 9.

The accidental withdrawal of the trough 9 and tongue 12 is prevented by the screwing of the usual end nut 15 upon the outer threaded end of the spindle. The tongue 12 is threaded to correspond with the similarly formed end of the spindle, as shown.

The operation of my invention has been so fully described in connection with its construction that further explanation is deemed unnecessary, and while I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards details of construction and arrangement and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited thereto unduly or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction, and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements and the substitution of equivalents as circumstanoes may suggest or as necessity may render expedient.

I claim- 1. In a lubricating apparatus a spindle having a longitudinal top channel, a lubricant holding trough seated in said channel and slidingly removable through the outer end of the channel for filling, a false bottom in said trough, and means introduced through the outer end of the trough for moving and for retaining the false bottom away from the fixed bottom of the trough.

2. In a lubricating apparatus, a spindle having a longitudinal top channel, a lubricant holding trough seated in said channel and slidingly removable through the outer end of the channel for filling, a false bottom in said trough, and a tongue slidingly entering the trough between the fixed and the false bottoms of the trough and through the outer end of the trough.

3. In a lubricating apparatus, a spindle having a longitudinal top channel said channel having longitudinal side grooves, a lubricant holding trough seated in said channel and slidingly removable through the outer end of the channel for filling, said trough having lateral extensions entering said grooves in the channel, a false bottom in said trough, a tongue slidingly introduced into the trough between the fixed and false bottoms through the outer end of the trough and means to limit the outward movement of the false bottom from the fixed bottom.

4. In a lubricating apparatus, a spindle having a longitudinal top channel with longitudinal side grooves, a lubricant holding trough seated therein and slidingly removable through the outer end of the channel ,for filling, said trough having lateral extensions entering the grooves in the channel, said trough having inturned tongues at its upper side ed'ges, a false bottom in said trough, a pin supported by the trough and passing loosely through the inner end of this th day of October, A. D. one thousand the false bottom, and means for moving the nine hundred and thirteen.

tongue away from the fixed bottom and for holding it in contact with the inturned AUTTUM J' BRITT' [L'S] 5 tongues of the trough. VVitnesses:

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set J. A. MINTURN, my hand and Seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, F. W. WOERNER. 4

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the Oommissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

